The Flood, The Firmament and Vegetarianism

We had a little science and geography lesson last Sunday. I don’t know if any of you have ever heard of this.

There was a time when the earth was upright and all it’s inhabitants enjoyed a temperate climate.The original earth was under a vapor canopy, called the firmament, which surrounded the earth.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. (Genesis 1:6-7)

Morris suggested the vapor canopy of the original earth had a greenhouse effect on the world’s climate, causing nearly uniform temperatures and humidity. It affected weather patterns, so there was no global air circulation, filtered out harmful radiation, and contributed to health and longevity. He suggested the increased atmospheric pressure caused by the vapor canopy may have been beneficial. The waters of the canopy were precipitated at the time of the flood, but the mention of waters above the heavens in (Psalm 148:4,6) indicates they may be restored in the millenial earth. (Henry Morris in Canopy Theories)

There was neither winter nor summer, autumn or spring. All living creatures, both humans and animals, fed on the lush vegetation throughout the land. These vegetation were able to provide all the essential nutrients required by all living creatures, including animals. Meat were not part of the diet plan of the pre-flood era and therefore there was no need for the killing of animals for food.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. (Genesis 1:29-30)

Then came the great flood of Noah’s day. The wickedness throughout the land was so great that God had to flood the whole earth to start anew.

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8 )

God broke the firmament which surrounded the earth and let loose the waters which flooded the earth. And it was so until all living creatures were destroyed, except for Noah and his family together with all the lifestocks and wild animals that were in the ark.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 6:11-12)

Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. (Genesis 6:21-23)

After the great flood, God tilted the earth and congealed the flood waters at the north and south pole and promised never to flood the earth the way He did again. And so it was that the earth’s axis was tilted to it’s orbital plane ever since, resulting in what we now know as the four seasons. The degree of the earth’s tilt is exactly as it should be for the earth to continue to exists. A few miles closer or further and the earth would either burn up or freeze.

Th earth after the flood is no longer the same. With the loss of the protective canopy, the earth began to experience extreme climate changes to this very day. It was after the food that God allowed the killing of animals for food. A purely vegetarian diet alone is no longer sufficient in a post-flood earth.

The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (Genesis 9:2-3)

Hmm……

I don’t know to what degree this is true but it’s fascinating nonetheless.